… and will pay no attention to Jewish myths …
Summary: Paul draws our attention to Jewish myths so that we can avoid them. He does not go into detail, but it is clear that he wants us to focus on Jesus.
This passage fascinates me. What do you think Paul meant by “Jewish myths?” The word translated as “myth” comes from the Greek “mythos.” The Greek word means, ‘a story,’ but it can also mean ‘fiction,’ or ‘fable.’
So what is Paul saying?
The secular world looks at the whole of the Old Testament and sees a myth. The believer sees the true history of God’s relationship with the family of Man. Paul, being a Jew, looks at the writings of Moses and the prophets and sees truth. So what are these myths? Paul gives us a hint in his first letter to Timothy:
“As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.” (1 Timothy 1:3-4)
We know from Titus 1:10 that Paul would include any teachings that include a requirement for circumcision. Paul’s comment about “endless genealogies” suggests that some people were more concerned with bloodlines than they were with faith in God.
Paul might have been thinking about the teachings of Jesus himself. In Matthew 15: 1-20 Jesus takes on the Pharisees’ “rules taught by men” (Isaiah 29:13). This is another area where Jewish customs would have come into conflict with Gentile customs. The Jews had many rules about food and the washing of hands. Gentiles had no such rules.
Paul expounds on this more in his letter to the Colossians. He points to false rules about eating and drinking, religious festivals, false humility, and the worship of angels. (Colossians 2: 16-23) Anything that tries to add to Christ dilutes Christ. If someone points to something other than Christ they are pointing away from Christ.
Whether the myths originate with Jews or with Gentiles, all are bad if they do not lead to Jesus.
Application: Pay attention to what you pay attention to.
Food for Thought: Are there modern myths we should be aware of and avoid?
There will always be myths. As you said, anything that does not point to Christ points away from Him. These are myths. Whether it is Islam, Hinduism, Secular Humanism, Hedonism, Materialism, etc., there are many myths out there for people to choose from. They all lead away from Christ and are demonic tools to point away from life in Christ.
Thank you, Rich!
I suspect the list is almost endless. You have certainly hit the major players. It is amazing how susceptible we are to being led down the wrong path.
I agree with Rich here,..there are plenty of devices that can lead us away from Christ,..
Here is a video poem I wrote a while back,…this popped in my mind while reading this,..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmYqkZgcKOo
Not sure if this if this linked,..so if it didn’t,..you can type in Take His Hand – John Willman in the seach bar at Youtube,..
John,
Thank you for sharing your poem! You are amazing!! That is a wonderful testimony.
Your video comes through very clear John. Praise God!
Blessings,
Ron
Are there modern myths we should be aware of and avoid?
There are many lies coming from the forces of evil, the god of this world who blinds the minds of unbelievers to the light of Jesus and deceives the world by disguising himself as the source of truth and knowledge. Jesus prayed for our protection against satan as we are born into and raised in this world. And the Holy Spirit spoke through Paul who recorded His instructions to always be clothed in the full armor of God for our protection and the word of God which will speak against, reveal the truth countering the lies of satan.
2 Corinthians 4:4; 11:14; 11:3, John 17:15, Ephesians 6:11-17
SOME MYTHS OUTSIDE THE CHURCH: Jesus was only a teacher not God, christianity is a crutch for the weak spread by social pressures. Christianity stifles personal freedom by requiring people give up all fun and follow a bunch of rules.
SOME MYTHS IN THE CHURCH: Once you become a christian, God will solve all of your problems, bad things don’t happen to truly godly christians…those with problems must have sin issues. All christians are loving, perfect people, always feel close to God. Christian churches are always safe places, where you can trust everyone. Christian ministers and missionaries are more spiritual than other believers, christians should never say anything that might offend someone or hurt someone else’s feelings, As a Christian, you should not associate with unbelievers, Christians should not enjoy any earthly pleasures,
MYTHS ABOUT GODS WORD: The Bible is a lie written by men, or only 100% correct as originally written, only a specific version of the Bible is correct or the Bible is out of date, many parts do not apply to today.
Ron,
Thank you for a great catalog of modern mythology. The verses you selected are excellent. I have added a link for them.
👍🏻